Wanderers
by blueshabooties
Summary: When someone gets hurt because of her, Max realizes the only way to protect those that she loves is to leave Seattle. But this may just make things worse for those she cares about. Sorry, I really suck at summaries.
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** Wanderers

**Rating:** M

**Summary:** When someone gets hurt because of her, Max realizes the only way to protect those that she loves is to leave Seattle. But this may just make things worse for those she cares about. (Sorry, I really suck at summaries.)

**Spoilers:** Both seasons

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing.

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"Don't you see, 452?

You're poison.

You destroy everyone that you love."

Max wiped away the tears that were streaming down her cheeks as she realized how true those words actually were.

It was all her fault. They had been standing outside Crash when they first heard the hushed footsteps coming toward them. Their superior transgenic hearing was the only reason why they were even partially ready for the gunfire that showered down on them only a few seconds later. He had pushed her into the alley, throwing his own body over hers for protection. Taking the bullets that were meant for her.

There was blood everywhere, but she did not allow herself to think about how severely he had been hurt. All she knew was that she needed to get him back to T.C. Their attackers were blocking her path back to her bike, though she realized that her Ninja would have been useless anyway. There was no way she would have been able to navigate and hold onto his unconscious body at the same time.

So she dragged him to the nearest car she could find, using the gun from his waistband to fire back at her attackers. Considering that she had not fired a gun in years, at least not willingly, her aim was pretty on target. She guessed that it was a skill that just never went away, kind of like riding a bike.

She sped all the way back to T.C., blowing through two sector checkpoints. Max did not stop until she was parked outside the med building that they had only completed a couple months before. The night guards had instantly blurred over, ready to fire at the intruders who had just driven through the gate that protected the south side of the transgenic community. But when they saw it was her, and saw why she was so frantic, they yelled out for the doctor on duty.

That medically trained transgenic, who had been unlucky enough to be the only one who was assigned the night shift, was Wren, a female who had named herself after a bird she had seen when Manticore sent her on assignment to South America. When Wren saw him, she immediately went into professional mode and called for the others to help her bring him inside.

Wren discovered that he had two bullets in his chest, one in his leg, and there was a wound where a bullet nicked him on the side of his head. He had coded three times on the operating table before they were even able to remove all the bullets and repair the internal damage.

It had taken four transfusions just to ensure that he would survive through the night. Max stared at his prone form, at the ventilator that was the only thing that was keeping him breathing. Even transgenic healing was hindered by three bullets.

It was White's men who had attacked them. That much she knew for sure. They had been coming for her again. Just like they had at Jam Pony. And just like they would until they finally captured her. Until they killed her because of the freaky DNA and runes that condemned her.

How many people were going to be hurt because of her?

How many people that she loved were going to die because of her?

When she had first left Manticore, it had been so much easier. The only people that she cared about were her siblings, but they were separated and she had no idea where they were. Max never let herself get really close to anyone else, so what happened to them never mattered to her. All she had to care about was her own well being and what she had to do in order to get by.

Bu then she came to Seattle. When she came here, she knew she was home the moment she stepped out onto the Space Needle. But, as time went by, she had let herself get too comfortable. She had let too many people in. There had been her friends at Jam Pony, O.C., Kendra, Sketch, and then Logan.

She should have learned her lesson when she infected him with the virus, but she was blinded by the pain of having to be separated from the man she loved. Then there was the attack on Jam Pony, and all of sudden she had all this responsibility. Max had to lead all the transgenics that she had set free from Manticore. All these people who, though they deserved freedom like anyone else, were totally unprepared to just be shoved out into this new world that was not ready to accept them either. She was not only responsible for them, but she cared about them.

And then there was Alec…

Max could not think of any words that would correctly define their relationship. Depending on the day, they could be friends or enemies. He pissed her off to no end and had this unbelievable habit of putting himself in danger that would eventually somehow inconvenience her. But he also, despite what she initially thought, was incredibly reliable and would help her with anything she asked. Sometimes acquiring his help did require a little bargaining, but she soon realized that he would usually do it for a lot less then he originally led her to believe.

With T.C., though, they had a common cause that they were both passionate about. They both wanted to help their own kind and this caused them to become much closer. This did not mean that they stopped fighting though. It just meant that they stopped fighting over trivial things and started arguing more over the welfare of Terminal City. He still called her a bitch and she still slapped him when she thought he was being an idiot, which was most of the time

But things were different now, though she had barely noticed at first. One day, a couple months ago, they had been arguing in her office after a meeting. She could not remember what it was about, but it had quickly gotten heated. Reaching the limit of her patience, she had raised her fist and swung it at his face. He had seen it coming though. Grabbing her arm as it came within inches of his nose, he threw her against the wall. In an instant, he was on her. His lips crashing onto hers in a searing kiss.

At first she had stiffened, her highly intelligent mind moving too slow to actually comprehending what was happening. Then, when her brain had caught up to the moment and she was about to push him off, his hands released their iron grips on her forearms and slid down to her hips. After such a long time, the feeling of someone touching her so intimately had caused her quickly mounting anger to just melt away. She leaned into the kiss and pulled his warm body closer to her own.

It was not the most romantic night she had ever had spent with a man. Not that any of her heat induced frenzies had been all candles and roses, but screwing under the desk in her office among fallen papers and pens was not exactly ideal. Though, it was mind blowing sex and she was left more satisfied than she had ever been with any ordinary.

When they were done, he pulled away, shame written plainly across his face. They dressed in silence and he quietly slipped out the door. She had gone back to her own apartment, showering for a half hour to try and remove his scent from her skin. The whole time all she could think of was Alec. Or, more specifically, she thought about why exactly she was so upset that he had just left. This was not her first one night stand. That was the protocol, especially if a person wanted to avoid complications or entanglements. And it was already complicated enough without the post-sex small talk. Maybe she was just so hung up on this because it was Alec, her friend. The one she had to see every day. The one she depended on a lot more than she liked to admit, even to herself.

The next day, Logan walked into Terminal City's headquarters and she smiled at him, despite the lack of fluttering in her stomach that he used to invoke. When his latex covered hand slid across the table to cover her own, she had to force herself not to flinch away.

She and Logan both knew that they were growing apart. It was inevitable, with the still uncured virus standing between them like a fatal barrier. They still searched for the cure, but it was only when they could since most of their time was divided between keeping T.C. afloat and fulfilling Eyes Only missions. It had been eight months since the flag rose in T.C. and Max was losing hope. She could tell Logan was too.

Alec had barely spoken to her in weeks after that night in her office. When she had seen him at Crash, she waited until he was leaving and then followed him out. She told him that she needed to talk. Max was not sure what she was going to say to him because she was not exactly sure what she wanted from him. Her shifting feelings for him confused her, but more than anything, she knew that she did not want to lose him. But before she could explain this to him, they were attacked.

As she gazed down at his still body on the hospital bed, she wondered what he would have said. Hell, she wondered what she would have said. But it was too late now. So many of the people she loved had been hurt or killed because of her, Max would not let Alec be the next.

The moment Wren told her that he would be fine in a couple weeks was the moment that Max realized that she had to get away. Before she poisoned him too. Before she finally did get him killed.

Bending over the bed, Max quickly kissed him one last time. She was glad he was not awake yet. Not only because he probably would have tried to stop her, but also because while he was unconscious she could quickly dismiss that action and not evaluate its meaning.

She placed the letter she had written on the table beside him. It told him that she needed to leave. That White will probably follow her and so he will finally leave everyone at T.C. alone. She asked him to tell Joshua and O.C. that she loved them. She told him to take care of everyone at T.C.

Alec had changed in the time she had known him. He was meant to be a leader. Their leader.

She told him to make sure that no one would come after her. Max debated with herself about what to write next. She felt like she should say something else to him, but she did not know what. A goodbye letter did not seem like the place to start writing about her conflicting feelings for him. She decided to just sign her name and end it there. Saying nothing would probably be better for both of them in the long run.

Looking down at him one last time, Max quickly spun on her heel and walked out of the room before she lost her nerve. She brushed away the last of the tears that were clouding her vision and then walked out into the cold night air.

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A/N: This is my first Dark Angel fanfic, so I'm not sure I correctly captured the characters. I've read a lot of Dark Angel stories so I know this sounds like almost half the stories that are already out there, but I'm hoping the story will get more original as it goes along. The next chapter is in Alec's POV

A/N2: I'm probably going to change the title eventually. I couldn't think of one so I just named it after the song I was listening to at the time. It at least has some relevance to the plot so I guess I'm just glad I wasn't listening to something like "Boom Boom Pow".

Please Review :)


	2. Chapter 2

**Title:** Wanderers

**Rating:** M

**Summary:** When someone gets hurt because of her, Max realizes the only way to protect those that she loves is to leave Seattle. But this may just make things worse for those she cares about. (Sorry, I really suck at summaries.)

**Spoilers:** Both seasons

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing.

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_Alec,_

_When you read this, I'll probably be gone. I can't risk White destroying everything we've worked for here, so I'm leaving. He only wants me and this way he'll leave all of you alone._

_Tell O.C. that she's my sister and I love her. Tell Joshua to keep painting, because even though people don't understand him, his art is universal. Tell them both that I'll miss them._

_I'm leaving you in charge of T.C. I know you'll do what's best for our people._

_Don't come after me, this is for the best._

_-Max_

Alec traced his finger over the words that would forever be engraved in his mind. When he woke up, she was just gone. All that was left was this note on his bedside table. He had immediately dragged himself out of the bed and over to her apartment on the other side of the compound, ignoring the stitches that were reopening and the blood that was trickling down his side. She had left most of her things behind, except for some of her clothes and her Ninja.

Wren, realizing that her most recent patient was missing, had sent the others to find him soon after. They discovered him passed out on Max's floor, with blood pooling around his body. A few hours later, when Alec regained consciousness, Wren threatened that if he did not stay in bed until he healed, then she would strap him down.

He spent the four days of forced bed-rest reading and rereading the letter. Alec knew she was gone, the evidence was glaring up at him, but it was still hard to comprehend. How could she just leave? Terminal City needed her. Alec needed her.

The only reason why Alec was even here was because of Max. He could have taken off right after they all escaped from the burning Manticore. Actually, he did take off. But then he came back. Sure, it was to save his own ass, but he stuck around even after Max bailed him out. He helped Max take care of Joshua and he even tried to help her find the cure so that she and Logan could get all touchy feely again.

Then, the Jam Pony thing happened. He even got shot in the shoulder that day. Yeah, it paled in comparison to Gem giving birth and others getting killed, but he was still wounded for a cause that he barely believed in because Max asked him to be there.

Eventually, Alec did understand why Max wanted to create Terminal City into a transgenic community. Here, all these transgenics were given a place to live where they were accepted for who they were. Working to create this community and getting society to accept them also gave the transgenics a purpose, which was what they were missing most now that they were out of Manticore. Everyone needs a reason to live, including those who were produced in test tubes.

When Alec had first come to Max to find transgenics so that he could get their barcodes for White, she had sarcastically asked if it was because he wanted to start a support group. He never realized until after they started T.C. how much like a support group it actually was. Terminal City was a community that was devoted to transgenics assisting each other in getting assimilated to this world that they had just been thrust into. She may have only been trying to be a bitch at the time, but even Max had moments of brilliance.

After Manticore, after Rachel, it had taken Alec a long time before he could even consider devoting his entire being to anyone else's cause. He had learned that giving himself to anything and anyone only got him hurt, so he cut his feelings off altogether in the true Manticore way. The mad scientists that pieced him together would have probably been proud if it had not also meant that he was no longer loyal to their secret government organization.

But, for some reason, he could not stop himself from helping Max, no matter what she asked. Could not stop himself from feeling for her, despite the fact that she was supposedly 'passionately in love' with Logan. Though, he always did think that their love was more a matter of wanting what they could not have, especially since she even told him that she and Wheels never actually got busy in the whole year that they had known each other.

Yet, even if he thought it was not true love between them, Alec did not act on his feelings. Because though he may have been a no good, lying, cheating jerk at times, he was still not the kind of guy who stole someone else's girl. At least, he was not that guy until the night he slept with Max. Alec did not know what came over him. She was yelling at him, for something that was probably not even his fault, and then she swung at him. She may have been pissed, but he was fuming. And sick to death of being the one that she took out all her problems on. So he tried to express his anger in the only other way that he knew that did not involve hitting her back. He kissed her.

And it worked at first. He could sense her anger mounting just like his, but then it backfired. She kissed him back. Then he completely lost control of the situation. Before he knew it, they were undressing each other and he was laying her on the floor while she nibbled on his ear.

When it was over, he did not know what to say to her. He not only betrayed Logan, who he begrudgingly respected, but he betrayed Max. Max, the woman who gave him his name and unconsciously guided him to becoming a better person. So he avoided the situation, hoping that if they pretended that it never happened then he would not lose one of the closest friends he had ever had.

But he lost her anyway.

"What're you doing out of bed?" a stern voice asked from behind him.

Alec refolded the worn paper and shoved it between the cushions of the couch. He turned in his seat and looked up at the blonde hovering over him. "I wasn't tired," he said. "I figured I'd watch T.V. 'til I fell asleep."

She merely quirked an eyebrow and walked around the couch until she was standing in front of him, her hands on her hips. Alec grinned up at her, with an expression of what he hoped looked like pure innocence.

"Hmm, you should have told me," she purred. She straddled his lap, tilting her head to the side so that he could feel her soft hair caress his cheek. "I could have thought of a few ways to tire you out."

"Didn't wanna wake you," he murmured, suppressing the moan he felt making its way up his chest as she worked her skilled hands through the thin cotton of his boxers. She smiled coyly and he flipped her over so that he was now the one hovering over her. Leaning down, he began kissing his way down her neck while his fingers deftly undid the clasps of her bra.

"Alec," she moaned. He smirked as he slid the straps of her bra off her shoulders and instantly felt himself become aroused in response. Just as she arched her body to meet his, a low beeping sound interrupted them.

He groaned, pulling himself up, and off the couch. "It's three in the morning," he grumbled into the phone in lieu of a greeting.

"Ya think I give a damn," the other voice on the line growled. "Get your deficient ass down here now." Then the line disconnected.

"What's wrong?"

Alec turned to see her still reclining on the couch, except now she had her bra back on. "Don't know," he responded, placing the phone back on the table. "But I should go check it out. I'm gonna go take a shower. Are you going to stay or…"

She shook her head. "I should go home now. I have to get up early for work anyway." She stood and picked her dress off the floor, where he had thrown it last night in his haste to get her to the bedroom. Pulling it over her head, she walked up close to him. She stood on her tiptoes and he felt her tongue slip between his parted lips, playfully tangling with his own.

Groaning, he gently pushed her away. "Sade, I really gotta go."

Sade pouted, but backed down. "Are you coming to my place tonight?"

"If I can," he promised. She smiled sexily up at him as she walked out his door, her shoes in her hand.

When she was gone, Alec took a quick shower before he headed out. Most transgenics were still asleep, so the streets were almost completely empty as he made his way to HQ.

"What's up?" he asked when he walked into the room.

Dix looked up from his computer, an obviously worried expression spreading across his monocled face. "We got a message from the police."

Alec rolled his eyes as he searched the office for coffee. It's way too early in the morning for this crap. "What do they want now?"

"They're investigating a series of robberies in a couple highrises in sector seven," Dix replied, turning back to where his fingers were flying across the keyboard.

Alec looked at Mole, who was seated at a table cleaning a shotgun. "Was it us?"

"Nope," Mole answered, his voice slightly muffled by the cigar he had clenched in his teeth. "We haven't touched sector seven."

Alec nodded, rubbing his tired eyes. When did the city of Seattle not blame the transgenics for any unsolved crimes? "Well, pay them off anyway. We don't need this kind of trouble right now."

"Not gonna work," Luke said from his perch near Dix.

"Why not?" Alec asked, his brow furrowing in confusion. "It's worked for the past twenty years."

Luke was nervously wringing his hands in his lap. "Clemente is lead investigator."

Just great, Alec thought as he dropped into the nearest seat. In the twenty years since Terminal City was first established, the transgenic community had had many run-ins with the law. Some of the problems were their own fault. It did cost a lot of money to support so many people and they never really had the means to buy what they needed, so they stole what they could not afford. These transgressions were rightly blamed on the transgenics, but they were also the scapegoats for many crimes that they did not commit. So, in order to avoid all the legal issues that were piling up, they just paid off any cops that came around sniffing

The only time it did not work was when Detective Clemente was involved, a man who has tried to be a part of every transgenic investigation since the Jam Pony hostage incident. He had very strict morals and, for the most part, Alec respected that because it meant he did not see the transgenics as inherently evil, like most people. But, at times like this, Clemente was just a pain in the ass. Alec could only hope that, since Clemente was so close to retiring, he would not put as much effort into this case as he had in all the others in the past.

"Fine," Alec said. "There's nothing we can do about this one. We'll just wait it out and hope the popo have their heads out of their asses long enough to figure out who the real criminals are. Just make sure to tell everyone to keep their noses' clean until this blows over."

"Got it," Mole grunted and the other two nodded in agreement. Alec could tell they were not exactly pleased with this course of action. The transgenics did not usually just like to lay back and not do anything, but they could not risk it right now. It had taken two decades for the people of Seattle to see the transgenics as more than just abominations that needed to be put down, and they still did little more than tolerate them. But the transgenics were slowly gaining ground in normal society. Right now they were working on getting a representative on the city council and voting rights. Though there were many powerful people who were fighting this tooth and nail, such as their main opponent Senator McKinley, the news reports were stating that it looked like the transgenics just might have enough votes to get these rights. The problem was that a full investigation into supposed transgenic robberies could be just the ammunition that McKinley needs. He had been trying to get them thrown out of Terminal City for years now, but the council allowed them to stay because they brought enough revenue into the city to make them worth the trouble.

After going through the daily routine of updates on supplies and security with Mole, Alec walked over to Terminal City Artworks. It was a seven story building across the street from the main gate, just outside the area's toxic ozone, and was the main reason why the city council allowed the transgenics to remain in Seattle. Like Joshua, many transgenics were surprisingly skilled in the arts. Alec sometimes wondered if any Van Gough or Picasso DNA had been thrown into the mix, along with the cat and shark genes. It could explain some of the pieces that had been produced in T.C. But Alec was not complaining. The weirder the painting or sculpture, the more these ordinaries coughed up for them.

Other transgenics, who were not as artistically inclined, were employed in the coffee shop on the first floor or in one of the antique booths on the upper floors. And the rest of the transgenics either did jobs within the T.C. community or worked on things that were not as publicized to the ordinaries. Such as the numerous robberies that it took in order to be able to successfully buy the building that they had made into an art mall.

Alec walked into the coffee shop on the ground floor and sat at an open booth near the door. He was pleased to see that it was crowded, despite how early it was. And the only transgenics he saw were the ones who worked there. All the customers were ordinaries.

"Hey, Alec. What can I get ya?" Alec looked up at the auburn headed girl in front of him. Woman, he reminded himself. She's not a girl anymore.

"Just a coffee."

Eve smiled, "Sure thing Bossman." Alec rolled his eyes as she strolled behind the counter. It was a name that Mole had called him during one of his more sarcastic moments and Eve, who had been a toddler at the time, had been calling him that ever since. At least Mole used to clean up his vocabulary when the young Eve was around or Alec might have had a more colorful nickname all these years.

Eve soon came back with his coffee and then took off to wait on a new customer. Sometimes it amazed him that she was already twenty-one. That so long had passed since that day at Jam Pony when they were all exposed for what they truly were. Transgenics did not really age like normal people and so Alec probably would not have noticed the time passing if he had not been around to watch Gem's daughter and the other transgenic children grow up. Though, it most likely would not have escaped his attention that his friends, like O.C. and Sketchy, were slowly gaining crow's feet and grey hairs. It was eerie watching the ordinaries grow older when they themselves barely aged. Alec looked almost exactly as he had twenty years ago, except his hair was shorter. He liked keeping it short now that he did not have to let it grow long enough to hide his barcode.

The transgenic apparent lack of aging did cause some problems, though. It made some of the tabloids publish stories saying that the transgenics had vampire DNA and that that they were therefore immortal. The articles were so absurd that they made even Sketchy laugh. But, for those who were already afraid of the transgenics, it just aggravated the situation.

Finishing his coffee, Alec left the cash on the table and walked up the flight of stairs that led to the art gallery. He found Joshua in the back room working on Joshua number… Alec had lost count a long time.

"Looks good, Josh."

Joshua, who had been flinging red paint across a canvas, turned and grinned broadly. "Alec like? Joshua number twenty five hundred and one."

"Impressive," Alec encouraged, as he moved closer to inspect it. The canvas was mostly covered in black paint, but there were various colors around the edges that looked as if they were moving toward the center. "Nice strokes and... stuff."

Joshua nodded eagerly. He picked up a new paintbrush and began making yellow dots along one edge.

"What's it supposed to be?" Joshua quickly glanced up at him, but then turned all his attention back to the painting. It seemed that for some reason he was focusing more than usual on his work. "Josh," Alec said sternly, "What are you painting?"

Dropping his gaze to his pallet, Joshua mumbled something that even Alec's superior hearing could not pick up.

"You're gonna have to repeat that."

Joshua looked up at Alec with wide eyes. "Max," he repeated, pointing to the painting.

Alec sighed and dropped his head to his chest. For months after Max left, Joshua had been depressed. He barely ate and spent most of his time waiting for her by the main gate. When he finally gave up on that, he would stay all day in his room painting portrait after portrait of Max. As time went by, the number of Max pictures slowly decreased. He had not painted one in years. Alec had hoped that meant he had finally moved on from his persistent belief that Max was going to come back.

"Josh," he started, "we've been through this."

Joshua furiously shook his head, swiping his brush across the canvas. "Little Fella comin' back soon."

"It's been twenty years," Alec reminded him, but Joshua just ignored him. They had had this exact conversation so many times that Alec was considering just using a recording of his own voice next time instead of getting into this argument again. Alec had tried explaining it to him, yelling at him, even begging him, but nothing seemed to make Joshua comprehend. Each time he insisted Max would be back soon.

"Joshua, why don't you just…" But Alec was cut off when Joshua suddenly growled as he threw his pallet and brush down on the ground. They both momentarily stared at the colorful splatter on the floor that looked so much like what Joshua usually painted.

"Have to blaze," he quietly mumbled, turning toward the door.

Alec reached for him. "Wait, Big Fella. I'm.."

Joshua spun around to face him. Alec almost backed down when he saw the way he was ferociously glaring at him. "Joshua doesn't care if Alec doesn't believe. Joshua knows Little Fella will be back." Then he took a couple large breaths and seemed to calm down slightly. "Have to blaze," he repeated. He walked out the door and Alec guiltily watched him leave.

The rest of the day Alec could not focus on the various managerial duties he was supposed to be doing. He spent the whole time trying to figure out how to make up for what he said to Joshua. It was not his fault that Max left. Alec should not get angry at him just because he missed her. Maybe he would go out and buy Joshua some new colors to paint with. He always liked getting new supplies.

At the end of the day, Alec was so pleased with the plan he had come up with that he did not even notice when someone came jogging up behind him as he headed out the main gate.

"Yo, Alec, wait up."

Alec turned to see a young guy come up beside him. He recognized a second later that it was Jett. Jett was a second generation X5 and the newest employee of Jam Pony. About two years ago, when the second generation started becoming old enough to hold steady jobs, Alec began having them apply for positions at businesses outside f T.C. It was useful to have transgenics without barcodes working at places where they could get sector passes and also surreptitiously gain any information that could possibly be helpful to the transgenics. Alec sent Jett and a couple others to Jam Pony just because Normal loved having transgenics on his staff. It was almost funny how pro-transgenic Normal had become over the years.

"Sketchy told me to remind you that today's Normal's birthday," Jett told him.

"Crap," Alec groaned, "I forgot." Now he was definitely not going to be able to go out and get Joshua his paints.

Jett snickered at the obvious anguish on Alec's face and, now that his message was delivered, began to walk away.

Alec quickly reached out and grabbed him by the collar of his jacket. "Where do you think you're going?"

Jett shrugged, "Dunno." Then he looked at him suspiciously. "Why?"

"Because you're coming with me," Alec informed him with a smirk.

"No way!" Jett cried out. "C'mon, man. Don't do this to me. I have to work all day with the old bastard."

"We're going to a strip club. It'll be fun."

Jett shook his head. "Not a chance in hell."

"Not up for discussion," Alec said, chuckling. "It's an order, soldier." He did not want to go either, but maybe if he brought someone else then he could draw the attention away from himself and sneak out early.

Jett just hung his head, muttering expressive expletives under his breath. Alec was actually kind of impressed by the kid's imagination

An hour later, the two transgenics met Sketchy and Normal outside the strip club. It just so happened to be the same one that he went with Max to so that they could save the mermaid, but he quickly suppressed the memory and instead forced a tight smile on his face.

"My Golden Boy," Normal crowed with delight when he caught sight of Alec.

"Hey, Normal," he greeted, "Happy Birthday."

"Thank you," he replied cheerfully. "It's one of the landmark ones and I thought we should celebrate appropriately."

"You should celebrate appropriately in a nursing home," Jett muttered. Alec elbowed him in the stomach, but Normal had not even heard. He happily led them into the dimly lit building.

Sketchy came up on Alec's other side. "What's up, man?" he asked as they pounded fists.

"The usual," Alec replied. "What about you? How's the job?"

"They're making me editor," Sketchy told him proudly. "You know, cause I have an inside connection with the transgenics."

"That's great," he said. They all sat down and Normal announced he was going to get them drinks. "So, how did you get roped into this?" Alec asked.

"Hey, the only reason he invited me was to make sure that you came," Sketchy replied.

Alec rolled his eyes. "Great." A couple scantily clad girls came up and began swaying in front of them.

Jett turned toward him. "You're paying for me," he warned Alec.

"Fine." Alec reached into his pocket and pulled out a roll of singles. He split it and gave half to the kid. "Happy?"

"Not yet," Jett responded, smiling up at the girl in front of him as he handed her a couple bills. "What's your name?" Alec heard him say.

She giggled. "Cherry. Do you want to know why?" she asked, playfully biting her lower lip. When Jett nodded, she sat down in his lap. "Taste," she whispered.

Alec looked at the curly haired girl as she began grinding in Jett's lap and thought she looked much too young to be there. Then he sighed inwardly. He must really be getting old if that is what he is thinking about when he is at a strip club. Alec turned his attention back to his own red-headed stripper and she smiled indulgently as she leaned down so that he could catch a glimpse down her corset.

"Uhh, Alec," he heard and his attention was dragged away from the sweet vision in front of him.

He shot Sketchy an aggravated glare. "What?"

"Isn't that Joshua?" he asked, pointing toward the back of the room.

Alec's gaze followed his finger's direction and he immediately saw Joshua nervously looking around.

"Tell Normal something came up," Alec said as he jumped from his seat, only his cat like reflexes stopped him from knocking over the girl in front of him. He walked as quickly as possible toward Joshua, despite the "Don't leave me alone with him!" he heard Sketchy call. Without turning around, he knew Jett was trailing behind him.

When Joshua saw him, Alec could see the relief immediately settle over his features. There were people all around staring at him and it was probably making him even more anxious.

Alec pulled him toward the exit. "Josh, what're you doing here?"

"Mole told Joshua to find Alec," he informed him. "Big problem at T.C."

"What kind of problem?" Alec asked, but Joshua just shook his head. He obviously did not know.

Alec nodded, "Okay, fine." He turned to Jett. "We're leaving now," he informed him. Jett nodded obediently, following them toward the car that they had driven there in.

They were only a couple feet away from the car when Joshua suddenly pulled away. "Baby," Alec heard him whisper, almost reverently.

Alec looked up at him in confusion. "What?"

"Baby," Joshua repeated excitedly, bouncing up and down in his spot. "Little Fella's baby." Then he raced across the street.

"Josh, wait!" Alec yelled, running after him. He came up beside Joshua and saw that he was standing over a dark motorcycle, stroking its smooth metallic side.

"Hey," a guy called indignantly as he walked up to them. Both Joshua and Alec looked up. "What the hell?" the guy muttered, staring at Joshua.

Joshua possessively gripped the motorcycle. "Little Fella's," he told the stranger.

The guy looked between Alec and Joshua, "Huh?"

"Little Fella's bike," Joshua repeated.

The guy laughed uncomfortably. "Sorry Dog breath," he said, "but unless you're into ironic nicknames, I don't know your Little Fella. I got this off a guy named Trek and he wouldn't be considered little by any stretch of the imagination."

"C'mon," Alec said softly, pulling on Joshua's arms, which were tightly coiled around the bike. "It's not Max." Joshua turned his pain-filled eyes toward Alec, but finally released it. He sullenly walked to the car. Alec looked apologetically at the guy, but he was already checking his bike for damage.

Alec began to follow Joshua, but then turned back and looked closely at the motorcycle. Fleetingly, he thought how much it did look like Max's, but then he shoved the ridiculous idea to the recesses of his mind as he remembered that he still had an emergency back home that he had to deal with.

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A/N: I found a sort of Dark Angel _After the Dark_ synopsis so I'm borrowing some of the T.C. details, like the Terminal City Artworks and the transgenic seat on city council, from the book. But I haven't read any of the novels, so I'm not sure if any of it is accurate. I don't think it really matters though because this story is very AU from the books. But I'm still just making sure that Max Collins gets his credit.

A/N2: So I spent like all day on this, but I'm a little nervous and I would really love to know what you all think.

Please Review :)


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